 |
This information appears on the following page:
 |
Search |
 |
|
|
|
|
CALENDAR |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thalia Spanish Theatre wins 2009 Mayor's Award for Arts & Culture
| On October 6 Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented the 2009 Mayor’s Awards for Arts & Culture to six individuals and organizations in celebration of their outstanding contributions to New York City’s cultural life. The Mayor also presented the 2009 NYC Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest award for achievement in the arts, to Jessye Norman.
Recipients of the Mayor’s Awards were Thalia Spanish Theatre, the Big Apple Circus, Jaynemarie Capetanakis, H.T. Chen, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Vernon Reid.
The event, held at the newly-opened Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, was co-hosted by Bye Bye Birdie star John Stamos. It featured live performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Musical Theater Ensemble, Cajun Cellist Sean Grissom, and Picaso, Jr. of the Big Apple Circus. Special guests included Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson of Carnegie Hall and actor Avery Brooks. The Mayor was joined at the awards ceremony by Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin, and Cultural Advisory Commission Chair Agnes Gund.
Thalia Spanish Theatre was recognized “for its extraordinary service as New York City’s first and only bilingual Hispanic theatre company in Queens, [home to] one of the most diverse communities in the United States. For 32 years, its more than 150 innovative productions and education programs have highlighted the richness of Hispanic culture, inspiring audiences from Queens and beyond.”
Executive/Artistic Director Angel Gil Orrios accepted on behalf of the theatre. He thanked the Mayor “for acknowledging the major contributions of Hispanics to the arts and culture of this town, and recognizing us today with this important honor.” He also announced a major new initiative: “We, the first and only bilingual Hispanic theatre in Queens, officially launch our Capital Campaign to find in Long Island City, our neighborhood for more than three decades, a long-awaited permanent home…. It is our goal to make sure that Hispanics in the city of New York will have the Thalia Hispanic Cultural Center, for promoting and diffusing the Hispanic Culture locally, nationally and internationally with innovative first class artistic productions of Hispanic roots.”
“Our artists and cultural groups help make New York City a great place to live, learn and work, and a destination for ambitious and creative people from across the world,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Tonight’s awards give us a chance to recognize the achievements of some of the people who work hard every day to ensure that New York City remains the place to be for artists and audiences from the five boroughs and beyond.”
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
